Which Indian state tops in issuing passports to women, according to data till 2023?

• In line with the visible shift in the migration pattern from Kerala of late, women from the southern State hold the highest number of passports issued in the country till 2023, followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Gujarat. • Though Kerala has the highest number of total passport holders in the country at 98.92 lakh (including male and female), Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of male passport holders at 70.58 lakh.  • The number of female passport holders in Kerala stands at 42.17 lakh. • A survey on “Youth Student Migration from Kerala”, conducted in 2023 as part of the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) Youth Leadership Fellowship, found that more women from Kerala are pursuing overseas education.  • Though the 2018 Kerala Migration Survey put women’s participation in migration at 15.8%, the latest study found that females represented 32% of the survey respondents, aligning with the data which showed that nearly half of over 7,200 students who recently secured Canadian visas from one facilitator were female.